Should You Cover Your RV or Motorhome?

Writer John Linden

Maintaining an RV or motorhome is no easy task, and there are many aspects of maintenance that don’t seem immediately obvious. What should you do with your RV or motorhome when it is not in use? Is it worth it to cover it, or should you take on the physical workload of keeping it safe from excess snow yourself?

It might seem like a good idea to take care of this yourself ,with some manual labor, but the benefits of covering your RV or motorhome are numerous. A lot of bad things can happen to your vehicle if you do not take the proper precautions to cover it. Spending your valuable time laboring over issues with your RV or motor home is unnecessary if you cover it effectively.

What Happens When You Don’t Cover Your RV?

For starters, the exterior of your RV or motorhome will deteriorate significantly over time without proper protection from the elements. Your paint will chip and fade over time as the weather beats down on your RV or motorhome, and you will have to either put up with this appearance or have it fixed.

Excess snow on top of the RV or motorhome will melt and cause great damage to the roof as well. It can also cause harmful leaks that will undoubtedly require repair. The sun’s UV light will slowly damage both the exterior and interior of the RV or motorhome. You can also experience extremely high temperatures inside the vehicle when it is left uncovered in the sun.

These may not seem like huge inconveniences at a glance, but the eventual result is a poorly maintained RV or motorhome. This can mean a huge drop in value along with a much greater workload depending on where you live. Certain areas will necessitate that you clear snow off the vehicle frequently to avoid expensive damage.

Benefits of Covering Your RV

An RV cover will protect its exterior and interior from harmful UV rays, snow, rain, and hail. The inside will be much cooler and will not exposed to the sun in the same capacity. The paint and graphics on the exterior will be preserved much more effectively as well without the harsh weather.

The top of the RV will remain unaffected by grime and dust that accumulates over time without a cover, and do not require nearly as much maintenance in that respect. You will also notice that you don’t have to wash and wax the outside of your RV or motorhome as often either. Covering your motorhome will always be the best option for both preserving your vehicle and saving valuable time and money. Now we know that covering your RV or motorhome is the absolute best choice no matter the weather circumstances. What are the best ways to go about covering your vehicle?

Ways To Cover Your RV

Renting a storage unit to house the RV is one of the best ways to completely cover one, but it can be a very expensive option for most. If this is convenient to you it is certainly worth looking into. Otherwise you will likely be looking at purchasing a cover to protect it from the elements. Applying an RV cover can be a difficult job for one person, so find a willing participant like a friend to take on the task with. You will want to make sure that the exterior is exactly how you want to preserve it. Clean and maintain the outside of the RV or motorhome to ensure the best results when covering it for long periods of time.

From there you simply make sure that the entirety of the vehicle is covered and secure the cover to the outside. Be careful of protruding parts of the vehicle or any antennas that may be in the way, and make sure that the RV has some ventilation from the inside when covering it like this. If you live in extremely cold weather, it is likely you will still have to do some labor every once in awhile. Clearing excess snow can still be a bit of an issue, but the damage and workload are lessened a whole lot by the presence of a cover.